


(i just wanna look) good for you

by lilithenaltum



Series: The Valki Fics [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Inspired by those pics of T Hiddles, Loki gets a haircut, Romance, beauty salons are better than barber shops, you know which ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 15:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilithenaltum/pseuds/lilithenaltum
Summary: Sometimes even a God needs a change.





	(i just wanna look) good for you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gaslightgallows (hearts_blood)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearts_blood/gifts).



> A present for gaslight cause she's a beast when it comes to fic updating and she deserves both a break and a treat. <3

“You’d think you’ve never been to a gala before, brother.”

Loki glances over to Thor, who is seated lazily in the recliner of his luxury suite at the Four Seasons. The room is spacious but his brother seems to take up so much space and it would make him irritable if he wasn’t nervous.

“That’s not the issue,” he responds, pulling his long black hair into a neat knot on top of his head. “I can do galas in my sleep. I’m simply not sure about…this.” And he waves his hand over his hair, hair he wouldn’t have in an hour if he didn’t chicken out this time.

It was the fifth time Thor had tried convincing Loki to cut his hair “just a little” and every time he’d only managed to allow a trim. It wasn’t that he was scared of change; no, he thrived in uncertainty and chaos and change was a must if one was to survive. It was only he’d not had shorter hair since he was a child and he wasn’t even sure if he’d look right without the long fall of onyx locks that almost surely was integral to his identity as was the horned helmet he kept in safekeeping back home.

“You’ll look fine,” Thor insisted. He uncrossed one long leg and pushed himself from the recliner. “I could come with if you’re in need of any moral support.” Loki snorted but he did appreciate the gesture. “No, I’ll…I’ll do this myself. I’ll make myself do this. I have to.”

He didn’t have to, but he was smothering in his role as Prince and diplomat and he needed a fresh look, a new start, something that would knock him out of the monotonous day to day living of court life in New Asgardia. Besides, he’d finally managed to grow something of a beard and what better way to set that off than a new haircut? At the thought of his newborn beard he allowed the light glamour he used to hide it drop and got an approving hum from Thor.

“You really shouldn’t hide it. It looks good on you. Makes you look…dangerous.” Loki laughed and shrugged on his heavy leather jacket to guard against the cold December air. “I am dangerous, brother. I don’t need a beard for anyone to know that.” Thor shrugged and clapped him on the back, playfully chucking him underneath the chin before Loki could move. “And now you look badass and dangerous. A winning combination, if I do say so.”

* * *

 

In all actuality, Loki really did like his beard. It was surprisingly full and soft and really did set his face off in ways he hadn’t anticipated. The dark hair contrasted sharply against his pale skin and fine bone structure and, he thought, brought out the deep green of his eyes. It also made his glare a little more intense, tactics he used when he needed to strong-arm instead of charm. If he was being honest, he found the more masculine features of himself incredibly sexy, and was hoping someone else would too.

The Valkyrie was to be his date for the night. Though they had only recently confessed deeper feelings for each other (deeper than drinking buddies and friends with benefits, anyway), Loki knew that he was irrevocably in love with her. Brunnhilde was Master at Arms and an important member of Thor’s Privy Council, a job she was excellent at and took great pride in. Though New Asgardia did not have an official military, it did have a few dozen women who trained underneath her leadership as prospective members of a new elite defense force. She wasn’t simply rebuilding the Valkryior, she was creating a better, more efficient version and her work kept her quite busy. But on request, whenever she could allow a break or a vacation, she would come with him to various balls and state dinners throughout Europe. Tonight would be one of her first visits as an official member of the New Asgardian royal retinue to the United States.

That wasn’t what he was so nervous about. Hilde had impeccable manners and was graceful and charismatic to a fault. She would do amazing at this gala, and would be a credit to the throne. He was only nervous because she’d not seen the beard before, and because she’d only ever known him with long hair. It was silly, really, to be so wound up about his appearance around her, but it mattered in a way it never had with anyone else. The only solace he took, on his walk to Perkins’ Barber Shop, was that if she didn’t like it he could always glamour his old look back.

But he really, really wanted her to like it.

Loki’s barber, or the one he’d adopted for his visits to New York, was an older gentleman by the name of Arnold. Arnold had done all his previous trims and was a quiet, methodical barber who rarely talked and never tried convincing Loki to do anything different. As it were, Arnold was out of the shop this afternoon, as he had a doctor’s appointment, and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday morning. And so, Loki asked Reginald, the front desk staff, if he had any other recommendations. Reginald brightened up.

“There’s a shop about another block here. It’s a beauty parlor, your Highness, but the girls do good work. Let me see if they’ve got any openings.” Reginald pulled out his cell and dove into his contacts, finding one “Cut it Up” and calling them.

“Hi Charlotte, Reg here…yes, yes great! Yes he’s coming in for-oh no, don’t tell me they-well yes, I was just…gotcha. Um…are you booked over there? Yes…ah, well than-“

He was silent for a few moments and raised his brow, glancing at Loki who tapped his foot impatiently on the tiled floor. “Oh awesome, you have a cancellation! Great, do me a favor and pencil in one of our regulars will you? Mmmhm, he usually takes Arnold. Yes, a he…no he won’t mind, I don’t imagine. Amy? Oh yes, she’s amazing, he’ll be pleased. Thank you….oh, right. It’s for a Loki…well, let me get a last name, I just know him by-“

He moved the phone from his ear and glanced at Loki before jerking back to the conversation when a shrill voice screeched through the speakers. “ _LOKI_?!”

“Uh huh. I promise! That Loki. Yep, the prince one. I swear I’m not joking…look, Lottie, I think he’s in a bit of a hurry so tell Ames to have everything ready, okay? Alright, sugar, bye bye.”

Reginald hung up and smiled, then pulled out a card from his wallet. “Here’s their address, and there’s a little map on the back, but I swear it’s a straight walk down this way. You’ll probably hear them before you see them.” Loki nodded and gave the receptionist his thanks, then went on the hunt for Cut It Up, one block away.

Reginald hadn’t been lying about hearing the shop before he saw it. Loud, thumping pop music blasted out the frosted glass double doors of the beauty salon and there were women chatting and laughing loudly in every corner he looked. But the interior of the shop was glam and spacious and looked cozy and inviting. He was greeted cheerfully by a bubbly red head, Lottie scribbled in looping cursive on her name tag. She recognized him immediately and ushered him over the one empty chair, where a tall blonde stood, ready for him

“It’s so nice to meet you, sir,” she greeted, extending her hand, and the nervousness he felt previously melted away. He took her hand and sat, giving a nod and a wave to the other stylists and customers who turned to say hi.

“So what do you have in mind…um, your Highness?”

“Just Loki is fine,” he said, and then glanced in the mirror to get an idea of how short he wanted his cut. Right above his shoulders would still be familiar, and maybe even something shorter, perhaps to his ears? But there was a little voice in his head that told him to go big or go home and so he gave her instructions to give him something classic but clean. And short. He wanted it short.

“Anything else? Color, conditioning, shave?”

He thought for a second and then nodded. “Color sounds nice. Conditioning would be useful…and perhaps a trim instead of a shave.” Amy whistled. “You want something quite different than what you’ve got, and I like your attitude.” She walked around the chair and made some mental notes, then whipped out her phone and pulled up Pinterest. “Here, have a look through this board and give me a general idea. I’ll cut it to suit your face, of course. And a color, too! Nothing too light, your shade is literally black and I don’t want to fry your hair any.”

He took the pink cased phone and began scrolling, debating between a few different styles until he stumbled on one that he found absolutely ravishing. “This is it,” he said and she nodded, grinning in approval.

“That is going to knock everyone’s socks off!”

He damned sure hoped so.

She was almost grating in her ebullient sincerity, but Loki didn’t want to crush her spirit so he graced her with a charming smile and thanked her. “It’s quite nice to have you as my stylist today, Amy.”

She grinned at that and started working.

* * *

 

Four hours later-after one haircut, a condition, a manicure, one beard trim, and twelve new followers on Instagram –Loki was back at the hotel and hurrying into his tailored suit. The gala wasn’t incredibly formal, so no tails and black tie, but he always wanted to look his best, and he had a lovely dark blue suit he’d never worn made especially for the occasion. And he was thrilled at how well the new color (his hair was lighter, by god it’d never been anything but black!) and the trim to his beard (which was magnificent, by the way) went with the dark blue.

It was the hair cut that really stood out.

He couldn’t stop staring at it, and grinning, and staring some more. And everyone had been hushed after Amy finished with him, oohing and awing at his new look. When he caught a glance of himself in the mirror, he couldn’t believe what he saw. Black had been lightened to a rich chocolate brown, highlighted with little sprinkles of auburn. She had dyed his beard to match, so that the contrast would not be so severe, and even did a bit of work on his brows. There was a slight wave to his hair that he didn’t realize he even had, or maybe the hair dye had done that, but it looked good with the new color and he kept running his fingers through his hair. And it was so light! Light and airy and free, the waves falling stylishly back into line when he was done combing through it.

He’d tipped Amy nearly double what she charged him and decided he wouldn’t be going back to Arnold and the stuffy old men at Perkins’ again. Cut It Up was his new hair care home in New York, and he even offered to fly her out to New Asgardia between trips to the States. She’d beamed so hard he was sure her face had to ache, and squealed that her girlfriend wasn’t going to believe her day.

He had thirty minutes to get to the gala hall, so he finished dressing, grabbed his overcoat, and made his way to Hilde’s room to escort her down to the limo. He was still anxious about her reaction, but there was a confidence in his step as he stopped at her door and knocked. Loki waited on bouncing feet for the door to open, and heard a shuffling of feet, then a faint yell.

“Who is it?!”

He chuckled. “It’s me, sweetheart,” he called and there was a pause before the door swung open. She was hopping on one foot, shoving the other in a pair of blue strappy high heels and didn’t pay attention to him standing in front of her at first.

“I’m running late, I’m sorry! I wasn’t sure what I was wearing until the very last second and these shoes are an actual pain but I promised Sif I would wear them with the dress. She picked it out, and it’s pretty, don’t get me wrong but-“

She happened to look up at that moment and the rambling she did trailed off into a soft “oh.”

For a long minute she didn’t say anything and Loki felt his palms sweating, his stomach knotting up. What if she hated it? What if the entire day had been a mistake? But then her mouth curled into an awed smile and he found himself smiling back. “Do you like it?” he asked, and she nodded slowly.

Hilde reached up and ran her fingers through his short hair, dragging her manicured nails along his scalp gently. His eyes closed for a short moment, then opened and he watched the emotions filter across her face as her hand slid down his temples to touch his beard.

“I didn’t even know you could grow a beard!” she nearly whispered and Loki burst into laughter, cupping her hand in his own. “It was a surprise to myself as well,” he admitted, and pressed a kiss into her palm. “But do you like the beard? The hair? I wanted something…new.”

She is smiling so genuinely and beautifully that he can’t help but think of how much he loves her in this moment. “I love it. I absolutely love it. Good gracious, Lackey, you look incredible!” Loki thought his heart would burst at her praise. He stepped completely into the room then and shut the door, following her to her bed as she sat to put on her other shoe. And he finally stopped long enough to look at her appearance, which was no less than breathtaking. She wore a gorgeous rainbow colored gown that floated and swirled around her when she turned. The neckline was a high halter that accentuated her toned shoulders and back, and little cutouts on the torso exposed a moderate amount of her soft skin. It reminded him of the Bifrost and made him homesick and nostalgic. It was when she turned to grab her coat and purse that he noticed something different.

“Hilde.”

“Hmm?”

He took the coat from her and helped her get into it, inspecting the waves that crowned her forehead and swooped behind her ear…then came up incredibly short.

“You cut your hair!”

She laughed then, the sound beautiful and rich and nodded. “Earlier today, actually. That’s really what took so long. Sif took me to get a haircut. I was just wondering when you’d notice.”

“I think it looks marvelous, sweetheart,” he said and she beamed, pressing a kiss to his jawline.

“Thank you. I just wanted…a change, I guess. Besides, it’s so much easier to deal with than it was before.”

* * *

 

The gala was a success. Hilde and Loki both made their rounds, schmoozing and flattering investors and politicians alike. Most of the attendees didn’t recognize the Crown Prince at first but everyone liked the new look and told him so profusely. And Hilde was a gem on his arm, elegant but witty and incredibly charming. Loki thought, more than once, that she would make an excellent Princess.

When the gala was done, and Thor and Sif had gone to an after party with several U.S. senators and businessmen, Loki took Hilde back to the Four Seasons to retire for the evening. The ride over seemed to take too long, and he was anxious to get her back to his suite, preferably out of that dress and between his sheets. His mouth was on her throat and his hands were untying the knotted halter at her neck and she was making little sounds that set him off like nothing else. But then she pulled back and looked up at him with glossy, dilated eyes.

“You know, I liked you just the way you were, right?”

He smiled. He did know that. “Why do you think I was so nervous about changing anything? I didn’t want you to not like me.”

She laughed and drug her nails along his scalp again, making him moan softly.

“I’d like you anyway,” she said, and then she looked at him curiously. “I will miss the long hair, though.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mmhmm,” she purred. “It was so much fun to pull. Ah well, can’t have it both ways.”

He gave her a wicked grin and with a soft whoosh of air, she felt another warm body behind her. Turning slightly, her mouth fell open and then she giggled. Beardless, long haired Loki stood behind her with the same grin as his short haired twin, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.

“Who said you couldn’t?”

**Author's Note:**

> There really is a salon in Northwest Louisiana (where I live) called Cut It Up. It's not glamorous by any means but whenever I went to that little shop I walked out feeling like a million bucks. Those girls can do hair like nobody's business.
> 
> I'm on tumblr if you wanna say hi (and even be friends, I'm totally down with that). || lilithenaltum


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